On April 20th, the Malden Varsity Baseball team took swings against the 3-2 Lynn English Bulldogs, arriving at Pine Banks Park with a record of 6-2. Malden came in confident after earning a 16-4 win against East Boston. The Bulldogs started the first inning with a base hit, allowing them to have a runner on first base. This was the only successful play Lynn was able to earn in the first inning as Malden’s shortstop Davante Layne was able to field a ground ball and catch a pop-up for the first two outs. The final out was made by third baseman Nicholas D’Anna.
Malden’s success on offense began in the bottom of the first inning with a base hit by D’Anna on the first pitch. D’Anna then proceeded to steal second base, followed by Lynn’s pitcher making an illegal motion with runners on base, known as a balk. The success continued as pitcher Ryan McMahon had a base hit. McMahon was also able to steal second base. Layne continued to have an effective performance as he hit a RBI triple, creating a 2-0 lead. Outfielder Thomas “TJ” Warren Jr. added to the lead with an RBI single. The first inning ended with a 3-0 lead.
After an inning without much action, Layne continued to contribute as he had another base hit and two more stolen bases. Warren walked and proceeded to steal second. Layne was able to cross home plate due to an RBI pop-up hit by first baseman Jaylen Rivera-Fuentes. Malden ended the third inning with a 5-0.
Although Lynn was able to score a run in the top of the fourth inning, Layne started the bottom of the inning with a double base hit. D’Anna also reached on an error due to a dropped pop-up. After Layne stole second base, McMahon hit an RBI single, increasing the score to 5-1. After another RBI single, Malden finished the fourth inning with a 6-1 lead. Lynn was able to score three runs, cutting the deficit down to 7-4. However, McMahon was able to close the game off by picking off a runner from first base.
After Malden was able to defeat Lynn English, coach Stephen Freker took time to congratulate the team on a great season so far, “When we look back, we’re going to see this as the day that we got back on track. Is there a single team that scares you?” The team responded with one word, “No.” The game ball was given to senior pitcher Billy Gauvin who ended the game with eight strikeouts and two walks with six innings played.
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